Many exciting nonfiction releases will be hitting bookshelves by storm in Fall 2021.  There are some captivating memoirs, biographies, untold stories, investigations, and so much more.  So make space on your bookshelves, stop by your favorite indie bookstore, and make those library requests after you’ve browsed our most anticipated Fall 2021 nonfiction book list!

The Auschwitz Photographer by Luca Crippa, Maurizio Onnis

Based on the true story of Wilhelm Brasse, The Auschwitz Photographer is a stark black-and-white reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust. This gripping work of World War II narrative nonfiction takes readers behind the barbed wire fences of the world’s most feared concentration camp, bringing Brasse’s story to life as he clicks the shutter button thousands of times before ultimately joining the Resistance, defying the Nazis, and defiantly setting down his camera for good.

Castaway Mountain by Saumya Roy

Into the Forest by Rebecca Frankel

From a little-known chapter of Holocaust history, Rebecca Frankel’s Into the Forest is one family’s inspiring true story of love, escape, and survival.

Forever Young by Hayley Mills

Iconic actress Hayley Mills shares personal memories from her storied childhood, growing up in a famous acting family and becoming a Disney child star, trying to grow up in a world that wanted her to stay forever young.

Slonim Woods 9 by Daniel Barban Levin

A stunning firsthand account of the creation of a modern cult under conman Larry Ray and the horrifying costs paid by his young victims: his daughter’s college roommates.

Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang

An incandescent memoir from an astonishing new talent, Beautiful Country puts readers in the shoes of an undocumented child living in poverty in the richest country in the world.

Mama Bear by Shirley Smith

In this moving memoir, Shirley Smith, wife of NBA Champion and All-Star J. R. Smith, tells the story of giving birth to one of the youngest premature babies to survive–using her experience to heighten awareness of the crisis of Black maternal and infant health and pay tribute to Black women’s resilience.

The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington

A powerful chronicle of the women who used their sewing skills to survive the Holocaust, stitching beautiful clothes at an extraordinary fashion workshop created within one of the most notorious WWII death camps.

Unbound by Tarana Burke

From the founder and activist behind one of the largest movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the me too movement, Tarana Burke debuts a powerful memoir about her own journey to saying those two simple yet infinitely powerful words–me too–and how she brought empathy back to an entire generation in one of the largest cultural events in American history.

Mellencamp by Paul Rees

The definitive biography of John Mellencamp, the iconic American rock and roll original, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews and never-before-told details.

The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree by Nice Leng’ete

The inspirational true story of one girl who changed the minds of her elders, reformed traditions from the inside, and is creating a better future for girls and women throughout Africa.

Credible by Deborah Tuerkheimer

In this landmark book, a former prosecutor, legal expert, and leading authority on sexual violence examines why we are primed to disbelieve allegations of sexual abuse–and how we can transform a culture and a legal system structured to dismiss accusers.

Personal Effects by Robert A. Jensen

The owner of the world’s leading disaster management company chronicles the unseen world behind the yellow tape, and explores what it means to be human after a lifetime of caring for the dead.

The Taking of Jemima Boone by Matthew Pearl

In his first work of narrative nonfiction, Matthew Pearl, bestselling author of acclaimed novel The Dante Club, explores the little-known true story of the kidnapping of legendary pioneer Daniel Boone’s daughter and the dramatic aftermath that rippled across the nation.

Shelf Life by Nadia Wassef

The warm and winning story of opening a modern bookstore where there were none, Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller recounts Nadia Wassef’s troubles and triumphs as a founder and manager of Cairo-based Diwan.

Smile by Sarah Ruhl

The extraordinary story of one woman’s ten-year medical and metaphysical odyssey that brought her physical, creative, emotional, and spiritual healing, by a MacArthur genius and two-time Pulitzer finalist.

Not All Diamonds and Rosé by Dave Quinn

Not All Diamonds and Rosé is the definitive oral history of the hit television franchise, from its unlikely start in the gated communities of Orange County to the pop culture behemoth it has become–spanning eight cities, hundreds of cast members, and millions of fans.

Hooked by Sutton Foster

From the 2-time Tony Award-winner and the star of TV’s Younger, funny and intimate stories and reflections about how crafting has kept her sane while navigating the highs and lows of family, love, and show business (and how it can help you, too).

The Loneliest Americans by Jay Caspian Kang

A riveting blend of family history and original reportage by a conversation-starting writer for The New York Times Magazine that explores–and reimagines–Asian American identity in a Black and white world.

Oscar Wilde by Matthew Sturgis

The fullest, most textural, most accurate–most human–account of Oscar Wilde’s unique and dazzling life–based on extensive new research and newly discovered materials–from Wilde’s personal letters and transcripts of his first trial to newly uncovered papers of his early romantic (and dangerous) escapades and his two-year prison term that shattered his soul and his life.

Concepcion by Albert Samaha

Tracing his family’s history through the region’s unique geopolitical roots in Spanish colonialism, American intervention, and Japanese occupation, Samaha fits their arc into the wider story of global migration as determined by chess moves among superpowers. Ambitious, intimate, and incisive, Concepcion explores what it might mean to reckon with the unjust legacy of imperialism, to live with contradiction and hope, to fight for the unrealized ideals of an inherited homeland.

Gentrifier by Anne Elizabeth Moore

Taking on the thorny ethics of owning and selling property as a white woman in a majority Black city and a majority Bangladeshi neighborhood with both intelligence and humor, this memoir brings a new perspective to a Detroit that finds itself perpetually on the brink of revitalization.

Act Like You Got Some Sense by Jamie Foxx

In this hilarious and heartfelt memoir, award-winning, multi-talented entertainer Jamie Foxx shares the story of being raised by his no-nonsense grandmother, the glamour and pitfalls of life in Hollywood, and the lessons he took from both worlds to raise his two daughters.

Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit

A lush exploration of roses, pleasure, and politics, and a fresh take on George Orwell as an avid gardener whose political writing was grounded in his passion for the natural world.

How to Live. What to Do by Josh Cohen

Focusing on some of the best-known characters in all of literature–chosen to trace the arc from childhood to old age–a brilliant psychoanalyst and professor of literature shows how our inner lives become at once stranger and more familiar when seen through the prism of fiction.

You Can't Be Serious by Kal Penn

You Can’t Be Serious by Kal Penn

In this refreshingly candid memoir, Kal Penn recounts why he rejected the advice of his aunties and guidance counselors and, instead of becoming a doctor or “something practical,” embarked on a surprising journey that has included acting, writing, working as a farmhand, teaching Ivy League University courses, and smoking fake weed with a fake President of the United States, before serving the country and advising a real one.

The Correspondents by Judith Mackrell

On the front lines of the Second World War, a contingent of female journalists were bravely waging their own battle. Barred from combat zones and faced with entrenched prejudice and bureaucratic restrictions, these women were forced to fight for the right to work on equal terms with men.

Blood by Jonas Brothers, Neil Strauss

Since their formation in 2005, the Jonas Brothers have been critically adored and commercially celebrated–with over 22 million album sales, sold-out stadium tours, major film appearances, and seven performances at the White House. But behind the scenes, things weren’t always as they seemed. Now, for the first time, Kevin, Joe and Nick will share their complete story, from their Disney days through their contentious breakup and explosive reunion.

Led Zeppelin by Bob Spitz

From the author of the definitive New York Times bestselling history of the Beatles comes the authoritative account of the group Jack Black and many others call the greatest rock band of all time, arguably the most successful, and certainly one of the most notorious.

The Pursuit of Porsha by Porsha Williams

Porsha Williams, entrepreneur and one of today’s most recognizable media personalities, opens up about family, faith, fame, and becoming an agent for change.

The Churchill Sisters by Dr. Rachel Trethewey

As complex in their own way as their Mitford cousins, Winston and Clementine Churchill’s daughters each had a unique relationship with their famous father. Rachel Trethewey’s biography, The Churchill Sisters, tells their story.

Sex Cult Nun by Faith Jones

Educated meets The Vow in this story of liberation and self-empowerment—an inspiring and crazier-than-fiction memoir of growing up in and breaking free from the Children of God, an oppressive, extremist religious cult.

What do you think about the books on this list?

Are you looking forward to any of these books?  What nonfiction books are you looking forward to in 2021?  What books would you add to the list?